I feel shocked to hear this news.
I can't believe Chinese grovement will ban this great drama!!!!
They mag got crazy

1:10 am December 30, 2011

Spark wrote:

It was a long waited great drama since "the greed of man" from TVB, since 20 years ago.
R
"When Heaven Burns" have the guts for telling what's wrong to government, sociality and this world.
However, totalisum don't wants to hear anything against their way...
Sad but true, Hong Kong is fallen and dying.

2:34 am December 30, 2011

Planctor wrote:

Is not an original story at all, and it has happened in real life. Read about the 1972 Uruguayan rugby team, whose plane crashed into the Andes mountains and some of the men and women had to eat their dead team-mates in order to survive. And there has been many film versions about that happening, for example the 1993 movie "Alive" directed by Frank Marshall and starring Ethan Hawke among others.

3:05 am December 30, 2011

one black swan wrote:

...or just maybe...it's a really crap typical Hong Kong soap, with a budget of $10 HKD per episode (and that's for the packet noodles), with terrible acting and a script that has more clichés than an Irishman in a pub. Complaining about lack of originality in pop music? Yawn...that's what every generation says...and really, Hong Kong is hardly contributing to improving THAT problem. Let's face it. The show was probably banned because it was rubbish, and the theme of cannibalism is just reaching for attention.
...honestly, this show probably wouldn't make it onto Australian television either. It makes 'neighbours' look like 'Gone With the Wind'.

3:40 am December 30, 2011

cookiebunnie wrote:

China has an issue with cannibalism?? These people eats anything...maybe the show strike a nerve or made them embarrass or something? Please tell them don't act angelic or conservative..

5:57 am December 30, 2011

Luke wrote:

Yeah, because Australian television is very innovative with all its American ripoffs and recycled soap operas...Please!

7:38 am December 30, 2011

Denil from HK wrote:

This drama got banned in the mainland because it was said to be inspired by the June Fourth Incident (more commonly known as "Tiananmen Massacre") -- people eating their own friends vs. army killing its own people -- while the Chinese communist regime has been trying to deny the existence of this incident. Few of the young generation born after 1989 in mainland know about this masscare, but discussion about the 1989 event had been blooming on internet forums which were originally intended for the TV drama. The authority saw iit as unwanted, so they just ban it in order to suppress further discussions about 1989. Please note that the internet in mainland China is always under monitor and any unwanted materials are removed very quickly, though Hong Kong is still a free city. Even since the ban, the drama has become more popular both in mainland and in Hong Kong.

8:39 am December 30, 2011

賭撚 from hk wrote:

For god's sake, this drama is not a kind of kitsch or cliché. it's also nonsense to point out how crappy it that before u watch it.
AH, in fact, i think the drama is going to tell us(surely,the folks in HK)that how important the freedom of the will and the innovation are. U know, the Chinese government only wants its folks to be their little lamps.
As a hongkonger, that drama is a kind of new stuff as it's reflecting the dark side of our society. to some extent, “When Heaven Burns” is encouraging people to fight against the dictatorship and to be an innovator.

9:27 am December 30, 2011

Billy wrote:

to cookiebunnie,
The cannibalism depicted in the the drama is just a metaphor that we need to sacrifice others to succeed in our career, to get rich or to gain higher social status in our daily life, not meaning people in China are regularly killing people and eat them.

11:55 am December 30, 2011

ben wrote:

One Black Swan, you obviously dislike Hong Kong's TV, which is completely fine...but for you to dismiss this mysterious/inexplicable ban by saying "probably because the show sucks" is silly.

Also, Australian TV sucks even more than HK TV. At least HK TVB have produced talent that have gone on to international fame/relevancy a la Chow Yun Fat or Johnnie To or Stephen Chow.

12:33 pm December 30, 2011

Y.Lin wrote:

Please try to actually watch the show before commenting on whether it is good or bad. It is an excellent series with thoughtful writing and amazing editing for a television show. Guilt is a main theme of the story where cannibalism is a plot device. Amazed to see every headline reads CANNIBALISM series.

1:10 pm December 30, 2011

P.sure wrote:

SB

1:13 pm December 30, 2011

UYI wrote:

Just a show, I think this discussion, with the fool Meiliang Yang

1:38 pm December 30, 2011

Anna wrote:

The show has been censored due to the metaphor of Tiannanmen Square Massacre 1989 which the fourth guy represented the victims (who were hopeful about the future) and those three guys were different parties in the massacre.

1:40 am December 31, 2011

Cleo wrote:

I instantly recognized the beyond reference about how the band and the girlfriend lost someone of major importance. The cannibalism is just a reference to Beyond's lead singer dying in Japan because of the Japanese cannibalism of Chinese especially our children, especially our babies. I doubt anyone in Northern China knows Beyond - the Bon Jovi of Hong Kong as they have been described. I think maybe one song of theirs is really good.

1:37 pm December 31, 2011

Denil from Hong Kong wrote:

Communist censorship on this drama is purely policitcal. They knew about the cannibalism theme on/before the first day of boardcast. Try searching "天與地" (the drama 's Chinese title) on Baidu Forum and you will received a message saying the search result has been censored; then try "六四" (June 4) or "民主" (democracy) or other political phrases you will receive the same message. Ethical censorship? "Love, Caution" or even porn actresses are not censored.

Did I say Australian TV was good? No. Actually it's rubbish too...What I said was that HK TV makes AU TV look good...because it is so much worse. As the locals say..."Aiyah"

As for Hong Kong being free. I've never felt more under surveillance here than anywhere else I've been...and that's saying something, because I used to work for the Hungarian police force.

In fairness, not all HK movies are so bad. I have forgotten the name of it, but I watched a movie about a hitman, a prostitute and a cop and the relationship between them...I wish I could find it again because it was really good. My favourite classic line of the movie comes when it is Christmas time and one says to the other "what is the celebration for?" and the other says "It's someone's birthday".

Look, in the end, what pisses me off is the self-righteous attitude I see in HK, and the preoccupation with hysteria about the mainland. I see prejudice and discrimination, and it worries me that people are becoming increasingly racist. It's not good for Hong Kong's own future, and it hurts a lot of innocent people. So yeah...having seen so much rubbish on HK tv, and experienced so much immature behaviour, I'm hardly inclined to take the position of 'free speech'.

12:56 am January 2, 2012

Denil from Hong Kong wrote:

Good show. Thank you, communist censorship has made this drama more successful!! As one of the best since 2000, its use of metaphor is hardly understood by everyone.

"'Harmony' is not 100 people saying the same words, but each of them being allowed to say their own different words'."

As such, I still respect the criticism and stereotypic generalisation made by "one black swan" even though he has NOT seen even 1 episode.

1:36 pm January 2, 2012

Melody wrote:

China just doesn't want to air this show because it promotes individualism

9:34 pm January 13, 2012

Punk wrote:

American like this type of cannibalism, homosexual, pedophylia, incest etc.

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